It's the end of an era at Apple. The iPhone maker is officially discontinuing the iPod

Apple May 11, 2022

It's the end of an era at Apple. The iPhone maker is officially discontinuing the iPod after more than 20 years, pulling the plug on an iconic product that helped "revolutionize the music industry" and introduced many consumers to Apple. In recent years, as smartphones have grown more sophisticated, sales have dwindled. Still, "the spirit of the iPod lives on” in other Apple products, according to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. The final model of the iPod touch will be available while supplies last.

Released in 2001, the first iPod helped Apple co-founder Steve Jobs remake the company, extending its reach from computers into other personal devices and vastly expanding Apple’s reach in the music industry.

“If we didn’t do the iPod, the iPhone wouldn’t have come out,” Tony Fadell, a former Apple senior vice president who is credited with inventing the iPod, said. “The iPod brought us confidence. It brought Steve confidence that we could do something outside of the map and that we could actually continue to innovate in new areas.”

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